Sayward Primary Healthcare Clinic COVID-19 Response

If you feel you may have contracted COVID-19, or are just feeling unwell and you want to check your symptoms, please use the official BC Self Assessment tool before contacting your health professional. https://covid19.thrive.health/

Prescriptions:

Some prescription refills can be filled by pharmacists without you seeing your primary care provider. This is only for some routine medications that you are on. All other prescriptions must be filled by your primary care provider. The clinic is doing many of these appointments with patients over the telephone during this time. You can call the clinic and book a telephone appointment to speak to the nurse practitioner or physician.

Clinic Visits and Appointments:

We have re-arranged the clinic to promote social distancing. Please be mindful when coming into the clinic to keep 2 meters away from other members of the public. If you are sick with any respiratory symptoms, please call the clinic and arrange an appointment time. Do not just come in. We will book you in when it is not busy, to avoid potential contact with other people.

Lab Days:

Lab days are still every Monday morning from 9-1130. We ask that you only come in for labs if it is urgent, INR testing, all cancer patients receiving treatment, therapeutic mediation levels (eg epilepsy medication or digoxin) or your provider has asked you to come in at this time. The laboratories in the hospital are very busy at this time, so we would like to help reduce this by not doing your routine screening at this time. If you have any questions, please call the clinic.

Island-wide — Island Health is working in partnership with the Ministry of Health and BC Centre for Disease Control to respond to COVID-19. The situation is evolving quickly and our strategies are evolving to keep people in the communities we serve safe.To support the Provincial Health Officer’s directions around social distancing and protect our residents, patients and staff from the transmission of COVID-19, Island Health has made the difficult decision to allow only essential visits to our facilities.Essential visits will be considered for patients who are: Critically ill Receiving end-of-life care Frail and need an escort or family member for their safetyEligible essential visitors must pass important screening criteria. This means they cannot have a cough, runny nose, fever, sore throat or shortness of breath, and they cannot have travelled outside of Canada in the last 14 days.We understand the importance of visits from family and loved ones to our patients and long-term care residents and we appreciate your understanding and support in helping to keep everyone safe. The British Columbia Centre for Disease Control is the recommended resource for provincial information that is accurate and current: http://www.bccdc.ca/. Information is being updated frequently on the site at this time and individuals are encouraged to check back regularly (eg. daily). Island Health also has frequently updated information on their website: www.islandhealth.ca/covid19